SORT and SORTN functions in Google Sheets - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the SORT function do in Google Sheets?

The SORT function arranges the rows of a range or array in ascending or descending order based on one or more columns.

beginner

How do you use the SORT function to sort data by the second column in descending order?

Use =SORT(range, 2, FALSE) where 'range' is your data range, '2' is the column number to sort by, and FALSE means descending order.

beginner

What is the purpose of the SORTN function in Google Sheets?

SORTN returns the top N rows from a range or array after sorting it. It helps to get the first few sorted results.

intermediate

How do you get the top 3 highest values from a list using SORTN?

Use =SORTN(range, 3, 0, 1, FALSE) where 'range' is your data, '3' is how many top rows you want, '1' is the column to sort by, and FALSE means descending order.

beginner

What happens if you omit the sort_column and is_ascending parameters in SORT?

If omitted, SORT sorts the entire range by the first column in ascending order by default.

Which formula sorts data in ascending order by the first column?

A =SORT(A1:C10)

B =SORT(A1:C10, 2, FALSE)

C =SORTN(A1:C10, 5)

D =SORT(A1:C10, 1, FALSE)

SORT without extra parameters sorts by the first column in ascending order.

What does the FALSE parameter mean in the SORT function?

A Sort descending

B Ignore errors

C Sort ascending

D Sort by row

FALSE means sort in descending order.

How many rows does SORTN return if you set the second parameter to 3?

A All rows

B 3 rows

C 0 rows

D Depends on data

The second parameter in SORTN specifies how many top rows to return.

Which function would you use to get the top 5 values from a list?

A SORT

B VLOOKUP

C FILTER

D SORTN

SORTN returns the top N rows after sorting.

If you want to sort by the third column ascending, which formula is correct?

A =SORT(range, 3, FALSE)

B =SORT(range, 1, TRUE)

C =SORT(range, 3, TRUE)

D =SORTN(range, 3, 0, 3, TRUE)

TRUE means ascending order; 3 is the column to sort by.

Explain how to use the SORT function to sort a table by multiple columns.

Think about how you can sort first by one column, then by another.

Describe a real-life situation where SORTN would be useful and how to apply it.

Imagine you want to find the best scores or highest sales.